Thank you all, especially loved reading the advise over on the making your garden 'worth it' thread.
Erica, I read and love your blog, but feel like I'm in over my head a lot when I read the garden posts. I love your advise on the other thread to plant the things that will be used regularly in your family and that are really different when homegrown - snap peas, tomatoes, and I think green beans are going to be staples in our garden. Herbs I think easily do pay for themselves and the convenience factor is insane (this is the one thing I have gardened before as an adult). Planning on fruit trees and berries once our house is done and we move on to landscaping. And my son loves potatoes so much I think we might try that in the future just because I think it'll be extra special for him. And salad greens. Finding that to be almost too easy, and will give seeds a try next year when our lives are more in order!
That's great feedback. If you could get me to answer 3 questions, just for you, what would they be? Doesn't matter how simple or basic they seem - if YOU have these questions, other people do to and I'd love to add them to my blogging calendar. Some of my best posts come when answering people's questions.
Specific thoughts: peas grow really well in this area. You should be fine. To sow once and harvest for a while, plant the pole type. The bush type still really need support, but they do one big harvest of peas and then they are kinda done. With the pole types you get them over the whole early summer season. I like Super Sugar Snap Pole.
Tomatoes: cherries are always a surer bet than the big slicers up here, and Sungold is a crowd favorite for a reason.
Green beans: no problem. Same advice as the peas. Pole varieties for long fresh eating; bush varieties if you want to can a bunch of dilly beans.
Potatoes: French Fingerling is my favorite. Skip all the fancy "100 pounds of potatoes in 4 square feet" things you'll see - that's all crap. Just put them in the soil and have fun with your kids digging for them.
In general, with gardening, just keep trying until one day people think you know what you are doing. That's what I've done. Still learning, all the time.
Herbs: yes - thank you not making me preach to the choir. The most cost effective edible, oz. for oz., that you can grow.
Good luck!